“The Trump Administration is doing everything it can to kill California’s offshore wind future, handing energy companies billions of taxpayer dollars to walk away from projects that would have powered millions of homes,” said Senator Padilla. “This bill makes sure their destructive approach doesn’t waste what’s already been invested so we can get these leases back to work, create the jobs Trump killed, and keep energy bills low for working families instead of letting his war on renewables cost Californians even more.”

“Energy prices continue to rise nationwide, and this administration is taking products offline just when they could be deployed to strengthen the power grid, improve the quality of life, and curb the cost of living for American families,” said Senator King. “Offshore wind has shown it can create good-paying jobs, bring billions of dollars in private investment to communities, and add another reliable source of American-made power to our energy mix. This legislation is a concerted effort to onshore energy jobs while bucking the Administration’s partisan attempt to pick winners in the energy field. We should be taking advantage of new energy technologies that can lower costs for all Americans—not prioritizing the interest of certain political backers for personal gain.”

Last week, RWE announced the Trump Administration would pay the company $1.22 billion to abandon its offshore wind leases off the coasts of California, New York, and Louisiana, and redirect funds toward fossil fuel investments. In June, the Trump Administration pressured Invenergy to walk away from its California Even Keel Wind project, and in April, Ocean Winds and Reventus Power canceled their planned Golden State Wind project in exchange for investments in fossil fuels. The three projects would have generated more than 5 gigawatts of clean energy, enough to power about 2.5 million California homes.

Specifically, the legislation would:

• Require the Department of the Interior (DOI) to offer surrendered lease areas to adjacent offshore wind leaseholders at the original per-acre auction price, without requiring Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) approval or issuance.
• Return any unclaimed acreage to BOEM to reoffer under the same terms as the original lease, maintaining all prior environmental reviews for conveyances, and bar the developer who surrendered the lease from reacquiring it.
• Pause issuance of new offshore oil and gas leases or permits until all surrendered offshore wind acreage has been transferred or reoffered by BOEM.

Full text of the bill is available here.